The evolution of the different types of readers can be likened to the theory of 'adaptive radiation' within the field of biology which is concerned with the idea that all organisms belonging to a particular class share a number of diagnostic characteristics and that different species have different modes of life adapted to their habitat. This is because the distinct types of authorised readers which have emerged, are analogous because the perform the same function of reading but are no longer identical because they have experienced vastly different degrees of adaptation over the last two millenniums.

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The Orthodox readers of the eastern tradition rather like the primitive marsupials in Australia, have become isolated from the development in the Roman Catholics and Anglican churches and have retained much of their original identity.